Primary conflict: Santiago spends three days battling the biggest fish he has ever tried to catch on his own.

Exposition: Santiago has gone 84 days without catching a fish, which has made him an outcast in his fishing village, as well as lost him his young assistant.

Rising action: Santiago tells his young assistant that he will go far out into the sea and is still strong enough to catch a big fish. He does find a large marlin who takes his bait, but he can't reel it in. The fish spends three days towing him out to sea instead.

Falling action: Santiago rows back to his village with the marlin's body, but sharks follow the body's bloody trail and eat it. Even the sight of the marlin's majestic skeleton is enough to earn back the respect of the village fishermen, however, and...